Can You Save Me?
by Indecisively Yours
Summary: In the short, two second walk, he realized something: she needed this. She needed to feel completely numb to everything around her and just forget for a moment or two. After all, he did assure her he'd be there for her.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Spoilers for entire season of Covert Affairs, including season finale.

I've got mixed feelings on the season finale, and the weird thing was that I was toying with this idea for a while, but I didn't know how to properly approach it. Luckily, the events of the season finale happened, and voila! Here you have the first chapter. Don't worry, I'm still working on _Acta Sanctorum_, but this damn thing was taking up all of my juices and wasn't letting me properly work on the other story until this was finished.

It's late. I've still got homework to do. I hope the title and quote are becoming. _Reviews/feedback and alerts are always appreciated!_ I'd really like to hear what you guys think about this! First idea out there like this? I think so. To take a page out of _Whoa Kayy._'s book, I'm posting this now to get my foot in the crack. I wouldn't want to wait and then see that there are five other ideas like this one. That would just depress me.

**Disclaimer:** Covert Affairs belongs to Matt Corman and Chris Ord. This idea is mine though, somewhat, once you get to the nitty gritty.

* * *

_**Can You Save Me?  
**_

_Can you save me?_  
_From this nothing I've become._  
_It's just something that I've done._  
_Never meant to cause you worry._

- _Can You Save Me_, Apple Trees & Tangerines

* * *

**Chapter One**

She's in the bathroom when he encounters her. He can hear the water running and the occasional pump of soap. Most of all, he can hear the furious scrubbing and the frustrated sounds coming from her.

"You know, if you keep scrubbing like that you might just remove a layer of skin."

He can hear her still scrubbing—more furiously this time—and mumbling something under her breath that distinctly sounds like "it won't come off."

"Annie?" he calls out to her, but she doesn't reply. He moves the laser cane left and right, allowing it to guide him to her. When he places a hand on her shoulder, she jumps under his touch.

"Auggie?" she whimpers. He nods his head, hoping this action will suffice. He's somewhat glad he cannot see her at the moment, for just hearing her pains him. Pretty soon her wet and somewhat soapy arms are wrapped around his neck and she's holding on as if he'll disappear at any moment. "It won't come off," she whispers.

And then she's crying into his shoulder. He puts his laser down on the counter (all the while praying to God that he doesn't accidentally get it wet) and simply holds her, knowing that's what she needs right now.

He's been in her situation before—knows exactly what it is to feel like the entire world around you is crumbling and everyone and everything is slipping from your grasp. Unlike her, he didn't have anyone around him to truly help him cope. He would make sure he'd be there any moment she needs.

They both stand there, in the middle of the ladies' bathroom of the Agency, until she clears whatever fog clouds her mind. His shoulder's wet (along with the back of his shirt) but he doesn't mind. He was there for her in her time of need, and that's all that really matters to him.

"I'm sorry," she apologizes, removing herself from his embrace. She turns the sink water on once more, most likely wetting her face and fixing herself. "That was out of line."

"You're my friend," he reminds her, glad that his time she does not jump when he places a hand on her shoulder. "I'm here for you, for whatever you need."

He hears the stilettos _clack_ just once and then feels her lips on his cheek. "Thank you," she whispers. He nods his head in understanding, leaving it at that.

She then taps his hand; he grabs his laser and then grips her elbow, allowing her to lead them out of the ladies' room. They had been gone for a while, but he knows Joan won't wonder where they've been.

Ever since Ben and the whole Sri Lanka fiasco, Annie hasn't been the same. Hell, he doesn't blame her. It's only been a week; he gives her props for even coming back to the Agency and attempting to return things to the way they were.

But ever since she's returned, he's noticed a depressing, defeated tone in her voice. He assumes the meltdown she had in the bathroom wasn't the first one, but the first one she's had at the Agency.

"Hey." He stops her once they arrive at his office. "Are you going to be all right?"

"Yeah," she replies back, too eager and too quick for his liking. "Just fine."

"I mean it," he reassures her. "If you need anything, you know where to find me."

With a pat on the shoulder, she's gone from his office.

All that's left is the lingering smell of grapefruit and soap—and the fact that the soap is more prominent than the grapefruit makes him worry as to whether or not her hand washing obsession had occurred more than once.

* * *

He's at his house—already changed into a pair of sweat pants and tee—when he hears a knock on his door. He wonders who could be showing up at his house at _10:52_ _PM_ unannounced and unexpected, but when he opens the door he realizes it's her.

The scent of Jo Malone Grapefruit is masked heavily by the soap and he worries that she's obsessed again. "Come in," he instructs her, moving out of the way and closing the door behind her once she passes through.

He hears her sniffle as she walks by and he immediately knows she's been crying on the way there. Grabbing her hand, he leads her to the couch, sitting them down while he silently instructs her to speak.

"I can't stay in that house," she immediately blurts out. He can hear the tears start again (along with the sniffles), but she speaks through them. "None of them know, and I can't exactly tell Danielle about it all, and holing myself in the guest house only invites her in for private questioning."

He tucks her into his side, leaning the both of them back. "It's okay," he says without thinking and then winces, knowing those were the incorrect words to say to her.

"No, it's not!" she yells, pushing herself away from him. "Every time I close my eyes, I just see Ben taking his last breaths in my arms! And when I open them, all I see is his blood on my hands." He successfully pulls her into his arms, placing a kiss on her forehead and allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder.

"I've scrubbed so many times, Auggie," she whispers, "but it won't come off."

He can feel the stream of hot tears on his neck and the lump in his throat increasing, knowing that a simply 'It'll be all right' won't suffice this time. So he resorts to simply holding her, placing kisses in her hair, and overall physically being there for her. He knows how it feels to not have anyone there and the last thing he wants is for her to be alone through all of this.

"I'm here for you, all right?" he assures her for what seems like the hundredth time today.

"Thank you," she whispers, placing a light kiss on his cheek. And then on his jaw. And then on the corner of his mouth.

Before either of them can fathom what's going on, her lips are on his and her hands are around his neck and she's kissing him like he'll disappear at any given point. But before he can fully succumb to her touch (for he had succumbed to the kiss the moment her lips touched his), the part of his mind that still has some reason within it stops them.

"Annie," he gasps, slightly out of breath. She's on the other side of the couch now, and he can hear the tears once more.

"I'm sorry," she cries, getting up from the couch.

In that short, two second walk, he realizes something: she needs this. She needs to feel completely numb to everything around her and just _forget_ for a moment or two. She needs to forget about Ben and his death and this past week, and perhaps this is the way to do it. Of course, it's a highly unorthodox way, but it's how he can help her at this very instant.

So, as she passes by him after that two second realization, he reaches out and stops her. He gets up from the couch; the hand that held her wrist in a grip now cups her cheek.

"If we do this, there's no turning back," he tells her, more for his benefit than hers.

"I know," her small voice says before her lips are back on his.

As she leads him to the bedroom—articles of clothing like breadcrumbs being left behind—he realizes her mind's been made up since she walked through the door. Part of him knows that the only reason they're doing this is in order to help her forget about Ben while another part of him worries about their friendship. A small part of him didn't expect their first time to pan out like so.

He did assure her that he'd be there for there, for whatever she needed. He just wasn't expecting things to come down to this.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **As you've probably noticed by now, I changed the title. This was formerly _Numb_. Now it's _Can You Save Me? _The title makes more sense now, in my opinion. And it's not just because I love the song.

I posted a prequel of sorts, called _Cosmic Love_. So it happens before this story here and can explain certain things. You don't have to read it though, in order to understand this. It might help you understand a certain section.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed and added this to alerts! I'm glad you guys gave it a shot and I do hope that you all continue to enjoy it! (Random tidbit: when you combine _you_ and _all,_ it's Y'ALL. Not YA'LL. Sorry, that's just something that irks me to no end. Random tidbit over.) Please do leave some feedback/thoughts on this! What do you guys think about their situation? Am I doing justice to Auggie's character by writing from his POV (third person limited)?

**Disclaimer:** Covert Affairs and its characters belong to Matt Corman and Chris Ord.

* * *

_**Can You Save Me?**_

_Don't you blame me, _  
_ For this nothing I've become. _  
_ It's just something that I've done._

_Can You Save Me_, Apple Trees & Tangerines_  
_

_**

* * *

**_**Chapter Two**

Sometime before the crack of dawn, he awakes to the sound of running water. He bolts up in bed, worried that he forgot to shut off the sink, when he recalls that he isn't alone tonight.

He's definitely not alone tonight.

As he lies back down and reaches over to her side of the bed, he quickly realizes that it's she who is washing her hands. A small frown appears on his face and worry fills his thoughts. He ponders getting up from bed and bringing her back to bed, when, as if by some kind of magic, the water shuts off and the shuffling of feet noise approaches him.

Like a robot she returns to bed, hands still somewhat humid when they wrap themselves around his torso. She rests her head in the crook of his neck, and he allows her to accommodate herself before he leans his body towards hers and brings her closer to him.

He's almost afraid to ask if she's all right, but he takes the risk by simply whispering her name. He takes a deep breath during her silence, the smell of his hand soap and his shirt (when did she put on his shirt?) nearly bombarding his olfactory.

To his surprise, she doesn't respond. He's never personally known someone who sleepwalks, but there's a first for everything. She shifts in his arms, with her back to his chest, and his hands remain around her waist. As her fingers interlace with his, he can feel the dry skin due to the excessive hand-washing. He wouldn't be surprised if her knuckles were red and bare.

The sound of her steady breathing soon lulls him back to sleep. For a moment, he forgets about the morning, forgets about work, forgets about what this means for them, and simply focuses on the girl in his arms and how he wishes morning never has to arrive.

* * *

The morning after is definitely more awkward than the night before. At least, that's what he expected it to be. They wake up around the same time thanks to the alarm clock on the nightstand.

"Shut it off," she mumbles into his bare should as he reaches over and does just that. They've switched positions right now, with Auggie's back against her chest and Annie's arm around him. She's still sluggish and half asleep when she asks him what time it is.

A digital voice reads out: _"Seven. Thirteen."_

She immediately jolts up in bed, dragging the sheets with her. He hears her shuffling around his room, grabbing her things, and knows she's changing into her clothes when his shirt is thrown next to him on the bed. Before he can even get up from the bed and follow her out he hears the front door being slid open and then shut.

Auggie only remains in bed and wonders if he's just been used. Either way, thinking about it just brings a slight headache to him.

* * *

He knew today wasn't going to be like any other days at the DPD. He realizes during their first joined meeting with Joan and everyone else that she's ignoring him. Annie Walker is flat out ignoring him.

Part of him understands why she's doing that, but a gander part of him is pissed off at the fact that she's talking to _Jai Wilcox_ more easily than she's talking to him. Hell, she's only said two words to the man. Then again, those are two more words than she's said to him during the day.

After their meeting, Joan calls a lunch break. Auggie gets up from his seat next to one of the fresh faces (Dan, he believes his name is) and turns on his laser cane, hoping to catch up to Annie before she leaves from his vicinity, leaving only the faint scent of grapefruit in her wake.

It takes almost all of his self-control to not break something when he exits the conference room and hears what he does.

"So…dinner tonight?" the voice of Jai Wilcox says. His mind tells him he has nothing to worry about, for Jai, at this point in time, would be the last person Annie would agree to go to dinner with. Annie always manages to surprise him, though.

"Sounds nice. Any place in particular?" Annie inquires. To Auggie, this all sounds wrong. She's being nice with Jai and actually talking to him, yet he, her friend since day one, is getting the cold shoulder. What has this world come to?

"I'll let you choose. Eight o'clock?"

"Eight o'clock," she agrees. He hears the _click_-_clack _of her stilettos and knows she's walking away.

Slightly angered by what he just heard (and the fact that she's going to great lengths to avoid him), Auggie bumps into Jai on his way to his office, not even bothering to stay for the repercussions or apologize.

He doesn't even bother with lunch today, deciding that staying alone in Tech Ops is better than feeling like she's around him every moment.

* * *

His workday could not end any sooner. The minute he finishes the last bit he needs to do for the day, he heads off to grab a ride and go directly home, foregoing a trip to Allen's Tavern with a small group of Tech Ops.

Stu, who bumps into him just as he's exiting the building, offers him a ride. Auggie politely declines, instructing his techie to go and have fun at the Tavern. In all honestly, Auggie just wants to be alone.

Being around people would simply trigger any emotional outburst.

With his white cane in hand (the lovely laser can only be used in the building), Auggie walks over to transportation, and heads into the usual cab he does. He greets the cabbie and then sits back, enjoying the silence of the ride. He pays his fare once he arrives and then walks into his apartment complex without a hesitant motion.

When he opens his apartment door, his olfactory picks up the faint smell of Jo Malone Grapefruit—along with the faint smell of antibacterial soap.

"Annie," he says, surprised to have her in his apartment. "How'd you get here before me?"

"I left before you. Did you forget that I drive and you take a cab?"

He nods his head. "That doesn't explain how you got inside."

"You forgot to lock your door this morning," she answers simply.

Backtracking, he recalls that he in fact did forget to lock the door this morning. His mind was just focused on so many other things that the simple task of locking his door slipped his mind.

"Auggie," she whispers and he can feel her hand on his arm. He immediately shoves it off; a simple action like that triggered the little budding anger in his mind.

"No!" his voice raises. "You leave this morning without a word, ignore me all day at work, and just expect me to be fine with you randomly appearing in my apartment? I get it; you used me last night to forget the pain, and I was fine with that then, but damn it, Annie, do you have to give me the cold shoulder afterward?"

Before he can continue his rant, Annie's lips are on his, preventing him from doing so. He drops his cane and house keys onto the nearby armchair and then wraps his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. He forgets about everything except the feeling of her lips on his and her arms around his neck.

Immediately, he pulls away. A part of his mind is utterly confused as to what's occurring, and it wants answers. "Annie," he breathes, "What are you doing?"

"Showing you that I wasn't using you last night."

His mind can't comprehend anything else but the fact that she's leading them to the bedroom—and that the feeling of her lips on his is the best thing he's felt in a while.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** My sincerest apologies! I know it's been forever and a half since I've updated this, but school's been getting the best of me and if it's not school stress then it's home stress and I just want to lock myself away from it all for a day or two. Good news: I got that new iPod and my laptop back. Bad news: my laptop's hard drive was wiped. Luckily, my back-ups were on my home computer, but I basically lost all of my music. No big, it's only music that I can download again at a later time.

I'm working on the update for Acta, for all you _Acta Sanctorum_ readers. You might hate me a bit after you read it, so I won't say any more to that. It's unknown as to when I'll update this again or update the other story, but know that I'm working as hard as I can to get the update out.

Thanks a billion to all those that have read, reviewed, and subscribed thus far! You guys are awesome!

**Disclaimer:** Covert Affairs belongs to Matt Corman and Chris Ord. Sadly, none of it belongs to me.

* * *

_**Can You Save Me?**_

_The naked truth is always better  
than the best dressed lie._

Ann Landers

* * *

**Chapter Three**

"Wow," Annie breaths.

Next to her, Auggie hums in agreement. Perhaps he had nothing to worry about this morning. A little nagging thought remains in his mind but he pays no mind to it. He doesn't want to think about all of the possible negatives when he's got a positive thing right next to him.

He turns to her, placing a kiss on her neck and then trails kisses up to her lips. She wraps her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her while deepening the kiss. It's bliss for him as their lips move in sync, but he can't help but feel a foreboding aura around them.

He pulls away slowly, resting his forehead on hers. "How's about you and me order some delivery, watch a movie?"

Just as she's about to give him her response, her phone rings from the nightstand next to them. Auggie groans, rolling off and resting on his back while she answers the call.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'll be there in a few!" she says, and then hangs up immediately after. At no point did Auggie hear a word from the person on the other line.

"What's wrong?" he asks, turning to her.

"My sister. I forgot I had made plans with her and the family tonight." Annie shuffles out of bed, and by the sound of her footsteps he deduces that she's frantically running to and fro in search of her clothing. "Rain check on the dinner and movie?"

"Yeah," he replies, rather dejectedly. "We can definitely reschedule."

"I'll uh, see you later?" she inquires from a distance away.

He nods, hoping she'll take notice of the action. Part of his mind can't forget the fact that he did overhear her agreeing to dinner with Jai. That same part of his mind makes him wonder if what she's saying right now is simply a lie to let him down gently, or not inform him of this at all. Either way, he can't help but feel as though everything's just a bit shady.

She vanishes in seconds, once again leaving that faint trace of Jo Malone Grapefruit in her wake. It's subtle enough that it drives him crazy; instead of remaining in bed _alone_, Auggie decides to get up, take a shower, get ready, and head out for the night. No reason to stay at home when nothing's tying him down to the place.

He grabs his cell phone from his nightstand as he's making his way to the bathroom, pressing one of the speed dials and allowing it to ring. A somewhat chipper voice answers on the second ring.

"_Stu here, at your service. What can I do for you, Auggie?"_

"You guys still at the tavern?" he inquires. By the background noise, he realizes that might have been a stupid question to ask.

"_Yes we are. Planning on joining us instead of sitting around at your place and reading a book?"_

"I was planning on playing a movie, actually. But having a couple of drinks sounds nice."

"_And so he gives in. Need me to pick you up?"_

"No, I'm fine," Auggie tells him, turning on the shower water with his free hand. "Just make sure there's a cold one by the time I get there."

"_You got it!" _

A small cheer erupts from the other line before Stu hangs up the phone. Auggie can't help but laugh at his techies. Placing the phone on the counter, he strips himself of his boxers and steps into the shower.

He's determined, after all, not to let Annie's words get the best of him.

**xxx**

A bustling sound greets him the moment he steps foot inside the tavern. It's Friday night, so many of the _spooks_ are present, enjoying the beginning of their weekend. For a moment, Auggie wonders where his techies are seated, but he wonders no further when he suddenly hears his name being shouted from a few feet away.

"He made it!" Stu says, walking him over to an empty seat. By his nonchalant attitude, Auggie takes note of the fact that he'll have to consume a bit more beers than planned in order to catch up to him.

"I said I would, didn't I?" Auggie replies, folding his cane and resting it on the table. Almost immediately, a cold beer is set in front of him. He thanks the waitress (at least, he believes it's a waitress this time) and takes a swig. Surprisingly enough, the amber liquid is just what his frantic mind needed to slow down a bit. "How long have you guys been here?"

"A while," Greg, his somewhat third in command replies. "When Stu said we were all getting together, I figured you would have made it here sooner."

Auggie takes another swig of beer. "I had some business to take care of before," he says, answering with nothing more or nothing less.

"You guys want to hear a joke about pizza?" Ruthie asks from somewhere across him.

"It's probably cheesy," Tom replies, after which grunting. Auggie deduces that he's been hit for ruining Ruthie's joke. Either way, the entire table erupts into laugher.

The laughter suddenly dies down once the realization of the situation comes to them. Stu's the first one to speak.

"How's Annie holding up, after the Mercer situation?"

Normally, Auggie would have found it weird that anyone was inquiring about Annie's business, but after she returned from Sri Lanka, the death of Ben Mercer and what exactly happened over there became the be all and end all of the scuttlebutt of the DPD.

"She's better," Auggie replies.

"I'm pretty sure she's more than better," Greg says, and Auggie hears some shuffling about the table.

"I'm assuming we're all looking at something here."

"Sorry, Auggie," Ruthie apologizes. "Annie just walked in here hanging off of Jai Wilcox's arm."

"My money was on you, man," Tom tells him, followed by a grunt. "Damn it, Ruthie, stop hitting me!"

"Don't go on and tell him about it!" Ruthie reprimands.

"Ruthie!" Greg hints, shushing his colleague and friend.

Auggie shakes his head, perplexed as to what is going on at the moment. "Would someone care to explain?"

"It's nothing," Stu admits. "We Tech Ops people were just running a little pool. For fun, you know?"

"Pool for what?"

"To see which one of you would hook up with Annie first," Tom blurts out. This time, Auggie can clearly hear the beating he's getting from Ruthie.

"Guys," Auggie begins, leaning forward, "I don't know if the memo skipped you all, but Annie and I are just friends."

"Then what's with the smirk on your face?" Stu inquires. Auggie shakes his head, foregoing a verbal answer. It wouldn't be smart to outright tell them that he won this little competition between him and Jai.

The smirk falls from his face, however, when he realizes that she's currently out with Jai _and_ blatantly lied to him about it. He just can't seem to take his mind off Annie Walker, no matter how hard he tries.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** So, yeah, let's just not talk about that poll. If you really want to know what's happened to me over the past couple of months, feel free to ask me in a PM or in a comment. Hope you like this! One more chapter left and it's done.

**Disclaimer:** Don't own, except for the idea.

* * *

_**Can You Save Me**_

**Chapter Four**

It's past midnight when they decide to call it a night. By the sounds of their voices (and the slur in their speech) Ruthie and Tom are sharing a cab home. Greg and Stu both drove their own cars, and both of them offer Auggie a ride home.

"Don't worry about it, Greg," Stu says to his fellow techie. "Auggie's place is en route to mine, so I'll just drop him off."

They all part ways and mumble a "get home safe" to one another. It's been a rough week, but the night seems to have eased everyone's minds.

Stu leads Auggie to his car with ease, making sure he doesn't bump his head on a misstep. After all, it's not the same car Auggie had been accustomed to seeing. They're both silent at first. It's unlike Stu, honestly. Now, the man's no chatterbox, but on occasion he strikes up some type of conversation.

"What's on your mind, Stu?" inquires Auggie, knowing that something's bugging the man.

"Nothing." He sighs. "I mean—you know that pool's just for fun, right?"

Auggie's about to answer him when a distinctive ring tone begins to play and his pocket begins to vibrate. It's _her._ He hesitates on picking up the phone, but ultimately decides to answer it, knowing that he'd regret _not_ answering it in the long run.

"Anderson," he answers, far from the usual tone and form he answers in.

"_I can explain."_

"I'm sorry?" he inquires. He knows she's referring to the fact that she was at the tavern on a date with Jai, but he doesn't want to let Stu in on this.

"_Don't do this, Auggie. Please. They must have told you that I was there."_

"Yeah, I'm on my way home now," he tells her, hoping she'll take the hint to drop the conversation. He honestly doesn't want to talk to her right now. Hell, he's not sure when he's going to want to talk to her, but he's very much aware of the fact that tonight is just not that night. "I was thinking of simply heading off to bed soon, anyway."

"_Fine,"_ she huffs into the phone. For a moment, Auggie's shocked. Shouldn't he be the one angry at her for having blatantly lied to him about going out that night?

He's about to respond when the call ends, the beep signaling the ended call following his suspicions. Without giving it a second thought, Auggie stuffs the phone back into his pocket, wanting to forget that moment ever happened.

"We're here," Stu announces, pulling the car over. Auggie hears the car being placed in park (honestly, Stu's gears sometimes worried him) and the doors unlock. "Need help to the door?"

"I'm not as bad as Ruthie and Tom were, thanks," Auggie jokes, taking his keys out of his pocket and opening the door. He unfolds his can and steps out of the car. He bends down and thanks Stu for the ride, shutting the door afterwards and making his way to the front door.

Auggie manages to make it up to his apartment without a problem. The only issue arises when he steps inside of his apartment and notices the not-so-faint smell of Jo Malone Grapefruit very close by.

"I thought I said I was tired," he immediately says, not giving her a moment to say anything first.

He hears the clicks of Annie's stilettos approach him as he still stands by the door. They stop once she's only a foot or two away, and he can feel the _anger_ simply reverberating off of her.

"We need to talk—about tonight," she says, plain and simple.

"Think we can postpone this 'til tomorrow?" Auggie inquires, moving to the side and walking over to the counter. "I mean, I'm sure your date with Jai must have simply worn you out."

"Auggie, please don't be like this," she begs of him. "Please don't turn into the jealous boyfriend."

Auggie laughs. Then the laughter stops. He walks away from her, serious expression on his face.

"Auggie," she says behind him, trying to grab his attention.

"What do you want from me, Annie?" he yells, turning around to meet her. "There's no possibility of me being _the jealous boyfriend_ if I'm not even _the boyfriend_ in the first place. You needed someone to be there for you and I was. My job as your friend has been fulfilled."

He's positive he can hear a sniffle of a cry, albeit weak and muffled. He knows his words had been harsh, but he doesn't regret them. At the moment they were exactly what he wanted to say to her.

"Try not to slam the door on your way out," he tells her, turning around and heading towards his island.

Her stilettos click at a fastened pace, and pretty soon the door is slammed seconds afterward.

His hand lands on an empty cup he placed on the island this morning but never drank out of because he was in a hurry. With a yell he grabs the cup and throws it, hearing it collide with something and shattering into pieces.

He feels like a jerk, like an asshole. However, a small part of him assures him that it was well deserved.

That small part doesn't shut up for the rest of the night.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **This is serious. This is my first completed story ever. In my five years of writing, this is the first story that I've completed from start to finish. It's an amazing feeling. To quote my cousin, I've "lost [my] story virginity." Bleh, who needs it anyway. Anyway, I high five myself because I feel accomplished and right now it's four-something in the morning and the only reason I'm up is because I'm still RP-ing with my cousin and I really wanted to finish this. Now it's finished. I hope you guys like how it ends. Oh, frame story!

Reviews would be greatly appreciated! I'd like to know what you all thought of the ending!

**Disclaimer:** Matt Cormon and Chris Ord own. I spruced up the plot myself, though, so I guess that's mine.

* * *

_**Can You Save Me?**_

**Chapter Five**

**

* * *

**

Work's awkward for the next couple of days. She avoids him and he avoids her. It's mutual avoidance. Joan must know something's up, because for the past couple of days she's been keeping Annie on desk duty and assigning decryption tasks to Auggie. It keeps both of them busy and means that Annie doesn't need a handler out there.

The pass each other when they enter (he can smell the Jo Malone Grapefruit more heavily than the soap up until the point where the only soap smell comes from the one she uses in the shower) and they pass each other when they leave. Neither one utters a word and each continues on in their different direction.

It's a routine they've both fallen into, one that they don't try to change.

On top of that, he's well aware of the fact that Jai has been talking more and more to her. It would bother him, if it weren't for the fact that she's turned down his dinner advances twice, and he's gotten the hint to stop asking, at least for a while.

It makes him happy, at least a little bit, to know that she _isn't_ going out with Jai while they're not talking.

* * *

A week later, things change. Annie's sent out into the field, but Auggie isn't her handler. Stu is, and the fact that it's someone other than him would have sent him overboard, but because it's Stu and not Joe Schmoe he's all right with that.

"She's all right," Stu assures him as they both sit in tech ops. "She's just gathering some intel. Joan wouldn't have sent her on something dangerous…not yet, at least."

Auggie nods and thanks his techie for the words of reassurance.

Things take a turn for the worst, however, when shots ring out. Auggie wishes he hadn't heard them, but he did, Stu having let him listen in just in case he missed something. They lose connection with Annie before she can even say a word, and it freaks him out completely.

"She's all right," Stu reassures him. "Walker's been in worse situations and made it out of it. Don't worry."

Auggie nods and thanks him again, but the thought of her in peril still lingers on his mind.

* * *

Hours pass before Annie arrives back at the agency. At any other given point in time he would be the first one to greet her. However, due to their current situation, he sits back and lets Stu inform him of what's going on.

"She's fine," he tells Auggie. "However, the guy who she was supposed to get intel from got shot. He was rushed to the hospital. Lost a lot of blood apparently, but he's holding on."

"Good," Auggie says. "Where is she, by chance?"

Stu walks around the office. "Bathroom, last time I heard. Been there for a while, actually."

Auggie mutters a thank you and gets out of his chair, clicking on his laser and heading out of the office before Stu can inquire of his plans.

* * *

He's memorized the route to the bathroom long before his accident. He knows which door is the ladies' room and which door is the men's. So, with this knowledge, he walks inside of the ladies' room, not caring whether or not someone else is there.

The water's running again and the smell of antibacterial soap fills the room. It's déjà vu for him, but he doesn't think twice about it. He forgets about their week of ignorance and simply goes to her.

She's startled when he places a hand on her shoulder, but soon enough her arms are wrapped around him and he's embracing her in return.

"How many times?" he asks, simply holding her.

"Four," she admits with a sniffle. "And twice every night at home."

He pulls away from her, hoping he could see her at the moment. But at that moment he realizes that she can't go to anyone else with this but him. Not some therapist, not Jai, but him. He doesn't need his eyesight to see this.

"If we do this," he says to her, "we're doing this the right way. Just you and me; no one else. And if you happen to stay the night, I'd like to actually wake up with you next to me."

He thinks she nods. Soon enough, her arms are around his neck and she's hugging him closer to her. "Thank you," she whispers and places her lips lightly on his.

He knows it'll take some time, but if anyone can save her, it's him.


End file.
